LDN - Sports

Kepler's three-run homer powers Twins past Red Sox

[June 13, 2016] MINNEAPOLIS -- Max Kepler picked a great time for his first major-league home run.

Kepler's three-run blast with one out in the 10th inning walked off the Boston Red Sox in a 7-4 victory on Sunday afternoon at Target Field.

A rookie in his 48th big-league at-bat, Kepler blasted an 0-2 pitch from Red Sox reliever Matt Barnes 429 feet over the center-field fence, giving the Twins their fifth walk-off win of the season.

"It was a good moment for a good kid kind of finding his way," Twins manager Paul Molitor said. "He's had some chances to get big hits here in his brief stint as a major leaguer and today he finally can say he had a moment to help us win a game."

Kepler's homer helped the Twins salvage the final game of a demoralizing series in which Boston had outscored Minnesota 23-5 in the two previous contests.

"I told myself just put yourself in a hit-and-run situation. Quick hands, nice and simple," Kepler said. "The swing before, I tried to do too much with it. I was thinking you know let me drive the ball out of the park here. And 0-2, kind of shortened it up and you know, got the bat to the ball."

According to Kepler, it was also his first walk-off homer at any level.

"A couple walk-off hits. This was a first," Kepler said. "Good timing."

Michael Tonkin (2-2) pitched one inning of scoreless relief to earn the win.

Barnes (2-3) was charged with the loss after allowing three runs on two hits and a walk in one-third of an inning.

"I was trying to get a heater up and away," Barnes said. "I just kind of yanked it to the middle and he didn't miss it."

Twins starter Pat Dean, who is a Connecticut native, couldn't get the win in one of his better starts of the season. The rookie left-hander allowed one run on just three hits in 6 1/3 innings but walked four.

"I know a lot of Red Sox fans back home that were telling me they were rooting against the Red Sox for the first time in their lives today," Dean said.

Red Sox starter Rick Porcello also didn't figure into the final decision; he permitted four runs -- one earned -- on five hits and two walks in seven innings, striking out five.

"He was very good," Red Sox manager John Farrell said. "He was on the bottom of the strike zone, put a number of balls on the ground, to both sides of the plate. Thought he had a good curveball today, a good slider to their right-handers. He pitched very well."

Minnesota turned a season-high four double plays, including one in the ninth inning when Travis Shaw was asked to bunt following a leadoff single by Chris Young.

Trailing 4-1, Boston scored three runs on two hits and two errors to even the score at 4 in the eighth inning.

Twins right-hander Brandon Kintzler issued a walk to pinch hitter Marco Hernandez and gave up singles to Mookie Betts and Dustin Pedroia to load the bases with no outs for Xander Bogaerts. The American League's leading hitter hit a sharp grounder to third baseman Eduardo Nunez, who fielded it cleanly but threw it into center field, allowing two runs to score.

Left-hander Fernando Abad entered and got David Ortiz to ground into his second double play of the afternoon, but the tying run scored from third.

Minnesota scored single runs in each the first and second innings to take an early lead.

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Twins outfielder Max Kepler (26) celebrates with teammates at home plate after hitting a three run walk off home run in the eleventh inning for his first major league home run against the Boston Red Sox at Target Field. The Twins won 7-4 in 10 innings. Mandatory Credit: Brad Rempel-USA TODAY Sports

Eduardo Nunez singled to lead off the game, stole second, advanced to third on a fielder's choice and scored on an RBI ground out by Joe Mauer.

A one-out single in the second by Eduardo Escobar got the Twins started in the second. A grounder to short by Juan Centeno was not fielded cleanly by Bogaerts, allowing Escobar to scamper to third. Byron Buxton followed and beat out a double play grounder to Bogaerts at first, allowing Escobar to score for a two-run lead.

Dean cruised through four, allowing a walk and a pair of hits, one of them erased by a double play before Young's solo blast in the fifth inning put the Red Sox on the board.

The Twins took advantage of Bogaerts' second error of the day in the sixth. Robbie Grossman walked and Mauer singled to lead off the inning. A pair of fly outs advanced Grossman to third and he scored when first baseman Hanley Ramirez was unable to scoop Bogaerts' low throw.

"That would have been the third out of the inning," Bogaerts said. "With our offense, we would have came back. You can never count us out. You saw it later on. If I just throw that ball right there, I mean, that is one of the few errors I wish I could really take back because that kind of hurt and kind of dragged the inning a bit longer. After a blooper, it killed us."

Escobar followed with a bloop single into center to score Mauer and give the Twins a 4-1 lead.

NOTES: Red Sox UTIL Brock Holt could go on a rehabilitation assignment this week as he continues to recover from a concussion. Holt has been on the disabled list retroactive to May 19 but sustained the injury May 10 against Oakland. Holt is hitting .239 with three homers and 19 RBIs in 35 games this season. ... The Twins claimed RHP Neil Ramirez off waivers from the Milwaukee Brewers. Ramirez has a 5.79 ERA in 10 games with the Brewers and Chicago Cubs this season but has a career ERA of 2.42 in 79 major league games. ... Twins RHP Phil Hughes was transferred to the 60-day disabled list. Hughes sustained an impaction fracture of his left femur near the knee on Thursday when he was hit by a comebacker to the mound. ... Twins RHP J.T. Chargois was optioned back to Triple-A Rochester following the game. Chargois was charged with five earned runs on three hits and two walks in two-thirds of an inning in his major-league debut on Saturday. ... Boston opens a three-game series against the Baltimore Orioles at Fenway Park on Tuesday. The Orioles will send RHP Chris Tillman (8-1, 3.01 ERA) to the mound against Red Sox LHP David Price (7-3, 4.63 ERA). ... Minnesota will begin a quick three-game road trip against the Los Angeles Angels on Monday at Angel Stadium. RHP Ricky Nolasco (2-4, 5.17 ERA) will start for the Twins against Angels RHP Jered Weaver (5-5, 5.56 ERA).

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